My current research interests are in Comics Studies, Illustration, Graphic design, Visual Semiotics and
Visual language.
Sound Symbolic Words in Indian Comic Books
Sound is an invisible and intangible effect found in nature. While a viewer can hear sound in a dynamic medium like films and videos, printed comic books have to rely on visual perception to create the sound inside the reader’s mind. Along with the perception ability of the reader, his/her cultural exposure is also necessary in order to decode the meaning of the sound symbolic word. This poses a challenge to the artist/designer to create words that resonate with the nature of the sound being represented. Even though Sound Symbolic Words or SSW form a small category in the literature, they are seamlessly used in daily lives.
In order to understand the nature of the sound and its representation, it is essential to understand the syntactical structure of the words. My study defines the syntax and semantics of the SSW used in Indian comic books. The syntax of the SSW acts as an establisher to create a correlation with the semantics of the SSW. The results can be utilized by any artist/designer to create SSW based on a given context.
Design Research
While writing my Master's dissertation thesis (2011) titled The Evolution of Graphic Novels in India, I started noticing the mechanisms and functionality of different elements in Comics. Since then I realized that only creating comics will not help the medium grow and expand. It is also essential to understand its parts and their behavior. Thus, I decided to study comics in depth and submitted my Ph.D in Comics Studies. My primary focus area in comics is the study of the Syntax and Semantics of the Sound Symbolic Words (SSW) found in Indian Comics. Since printed comics has a confined space, therefore it is essential to deliberately use any elements inside the panels. The SSW are one such element that conveys the sound to the reader. Any change in its syntax alters its semantics also.
